What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do — Day By Day — Rich Wilkerson Jr.

oh man happy happy Sunday man we are so pumped about today and so grateful once again that so many of you are tuning in on this holiday weekend a weekend that we celebrate the birth of our nation not a perfect nation but a nation that I believe is committed to progress and I love that idea that we're gonna continue to progress to make progression we've always said it's not about perfection it's about progression that we're gonna keep getting better and I'm declaring that today over the nation I'm believing the best is yet to come god Bless America as we continue to improve and continue to grow but man I've been looking forward to today I'm so happy so many of you are joining us I'm just on the YouTube chat so cool to see my friend Julia all the way there in Brazil she's tuning in right now I see you my friend Richie white I see you in the chat there's so many of you guys let's engage in today's message you know boo Church we have a loud church people say Amen they verbally engage and I think the chat is kind of like the Amen Corner it's like the front row at vous Church that really really brings the energy and really brings the engagement and so lean in today today I'm kicking off a new collection that I don't know um guys this collection might just go all summer long this collection we've titled it day by day just day by day and I really believe that the Lord's gonna speak to us in an incredible way I don't know if it's gonna be five weeks six weeks but I know for the month of July the Lord has been leading me and speaking to me and I'm grateful that I can come to you live today and speak into our current situation as a church but also where we're at as a nation what does the Lord is saying to us and so if you got a Bible quickly grab it Acts chapter 2 Acts chapter 2 we'll start in verse 42 is where I want to read from today this is going to kind of be a foundational text that we will use throughout the collection to kind of go back to but um got a lot of things I want to share for the next few weeks Acts chapter 2 verse 42 welcome all of our vous friends and family man is good to see people and maybe even right now you want to shoot a text someone say yo they're live right now share this content get the word out about this I think if it's helping you my guess is it'll help somebody else Acts chapter 2 verse 42 and they devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching and the fellowship to the breaking of bread and the prayers and awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles and all who believed were together and had all things in common and they were selling their possessions belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any head need and day by day there it is I once a day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes they received their food with glad and generous hearts praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to their number day by day some once a day by day added to their number day by day those who were being saved it's a powerful passage of Scripture that I want to try to preach from today but I simply titled the first installment of this collection today's talk I titled it this what to do when you don't know what to do what to do when you don't know what to do I think that's a word for so many of us who are tuning in today you know it is I keep saying this over and over again but man it doesn't take a rocket scientist everybody is feeling the current pressure of the season that we are living in it's interesting because I got good friends really all over our nation and really good friends all over the world and such a great local community here in Miami and I love our church because so many of you have personally reached out to check on my wife and I on our family and you know many times I find this question come up you know how are you doing how many know in July of 2020 the question how are you doing is a loaded question do you really want know how I'm doing come on somebody knows what I'm talking about out there that's a loaded question that's a complicated question these days because there's there's layers of pain that people are going through there's there's layers of difficulty that we're all dealing with but I found myself sort of giving the same answer to people and I find myself saying I'm doing good day by day and to be honest with you I used to hear that phrase you know how you doing what we're getting through it you know day by day and for many people that kind of almost comes off like it's week many times it's almost sounds like that that sentiment is like a weak sentiment to say day by day like what do you mean day by day like don't you have a long-term vision come on aren't you blessed and highly favored yet I really believe that that answer is the most beautiful answer that we can all give in this current season how are you doing I'm doing good day-by-day why because I think we're going through a season right now that's so many of us every day we turn on our telephone everyday we open up the computer how many know there's a new problem I wasn't anticipating I don't think you were anticipating and if not like it just started in July it's like it kicked off this way from the death of Kobe Bryant to a global pandemic to our economy literally shutting down 40 million some people unemployed people getting sick people dying racism as its come to the forefront as we're confronting that and trying to dismantle that in all of the different opinions and how that creates division and how that goes into political boxes and so many things that we're dealing with right now that I wasn't anticipating and so I'm taking it day by day and I used to think that was like a weak answer but more and more as I started to study the Bible I'm like no no no no that's not a weak answer that's a biblical answer you know I talked to so many people throughout the week and honestly I thought there's this shared sentiment which is like I don't know what to do can somebody just tell me what to do everybody have you felt that way at all come on maybe it's just me like I felt that way a couple times like somebody just tell me what to do like I just I want to do the right thing what is the right thing to do this is complicated this is layered what do I do well let me tell you something what do I do when I don't know what to do it's in those moments that you humble yourself before God and in due time according to first Peter he will lift you up you cast all your cares upon him for he cares for you what do you do when you don't know what to do you consult the God you consult Jesus the only one who knows what to do when you don't know what to do what what do I do when I don't know what to do the first thing you do is you take it to Jesus and we're gonna take it day by day I like that old expression how do you eat an elephant one bite at a time oh come on that shouldn't surprise anyone at vous Church anyone who's actually part of Who church kind of knows what our vision for this year was how do you build a great church how do you build a great church brick by brick and how are you gonna get through this season you're gonna get through this season day by day how am i doing I'm not just surviving I'm overcoming day by day I'm taking it to Jesus and I'm discovering the strength that he has for me I'm taking it one day at a time please write this down it's your thesis statement for this collection for the next I don't know 20 weeks now we're not going 20 but you might the key to enduring is found in what you do daily is this is this is pivotal the key to enduring is found in what you do daily so I suppose the simple question today is what are you doing daily what what are you doing daily because whatever you do daily determines who you become permanently please please get this in the chat today because this this is a were for some people right now come on zoom I see some friends out there and zoom well this is for Louis right now he's watching I like your cutoff brother you look sharp - yes thank you so much what you do determines who you become permanently Louis that's that's just a word for you you've got to understand that we have to understand that every single day our routine is defining the person I am becoming so watch this um if you don't like what you're getting today then you're gonna have to do something different tomorrow than what you did today see you have to change your routine in order to change your life what I'm doing daily is creating my habits habits is what we're talking about here how do you define a habit a habit is is your behavior it's your regular behavior that you do so regularly that it almost becomes involuntary meaning what I'm doing without even thinking about it today I was up I was picked up by my longtime brother me and this man had been doing life for a long time he's right over here someone put a camera on Jean costume we had a camera on Jean costume over here haven't seen my brother in like four months fist-bumping fist-bumping Jean and I go way back I mean way back to his Bible College days but since we planted vous church Jean faithfully has picked me up every morning and taken me to church and it's funny because Jean even though he hasn't picked me up in four months to come to church he picked me up this morning we got in the car and would you believe it as we started driving guess where jean pulled his car up to the itec auditorium I'm not preaching to you today from the itec I owe him those of you out there who friends and family world I Tech is one of our locations that I preached at from the begin the day what happened it's called a habit in jeans life that without even thinking he was just talking he was just telling me about the new baby he was just telling me about his wife Alina and all that God's doing and he pulls right up to eye tech because it's his habit it's because when he's not thinking all of a sudden what shows up is the habit of his lights let me just make sure I'm not just giving you my own teaching let's go way back to one of the great philosophers Aristotle what did he say he said we are what we repeatedly do excellence therefore is not an act but a habit wha-hoo meaning excellence isn't some one-time thing I do I'm either a person of excellence or I'm not excellence is a habit it's what's coming out of me without even me thinking about it what do you do when you don't know what to do you do your habits I don't know what to do you're doing something you're doing your habits you see a crisis before it creates habits it exposes habits difficult times before it defines something that you're doing it just exposes who you already are and the problem with difficult times is difficult times make bad habits worse so they just get the edge get worse it's amazing right now because so many of us bad habits are coming out of us I see so many bad habits in this crisis I see myself at times being tempted to fall into bad habits bad habit this is the bad habit you see right now in the world right now approval seekers listen to me if you live for people's approval you will die by their rejection this is important that you see this it is better to live for the approval of God than the applause of man I don't want in this time to do simply what's popular I want to do what God has spoken to me I want to do what the Word of God has defined I don't want to live for the applause of the world I want the approval of God come on somebody I see other bad habits blame shifters whooo shifting the but listen to me every time you shift the blame you remove the opportunity to be transformed you you do when I put the blame on somebody else I miss out on the opportunity for me to take responsibility and for me to grow this is not a habit that you want how about this gossip gobblers this is a bad habit going around right now people talking about one another people talking behind each other's back it's so important that you get this today you do not want to fall into this idea gossiping is this nasty habit this tacky habit of people who lack character people who spend all their I'm talking about other people are typically people who aren't happy with their own life listen to me anybody who will talk to you about someone will also talk to you talk about you to someone else I want to give you a word today anybody who's talking behind your back guess where they belong behind your back you're moving forward day-by-day what about avoidance addicts that's that's pretty big right now listen you're never ever gonna find peace by avoiding reality to solve a problem you have to first be aware of the problem but a lot of us in this day and age we are avoiding every sense of reality I don't know what it is that you turn to but we try to escape you know what let me just turn off everything and let me just go to Netflix and let me just consume or you know what let me go to the bottle you know what let me go and just get out of town and not have to deal with any of the problems that are around me and as I get out of town and as I escape from all the problems I also remove myself in responsibility of being a solution to the problem what about failure freaks oh that's a big one I think we're living in a time right now where all of us I've felt this way a lot of times I don't like this habit when it shows up a failure freak I'm so afraid to fail that it paralyzes me and it traps me from stepping for listen to me if you're not failing you're not succeeding listen we're not failure freaks we know we're gonna stumble we know we're gonna fall being believers guess what that means it doesn't mean that we've got a perfect life it means that we have a perfect Savior and we understand that although I fall and although I make mistakes and although I sinned his grace picks me up and I stand up and I move forward I [Applause] don't know what bad habits are showing up in your life today but what you do daily is determining who you're becoming permanently and here's what you gotta you got to see today good habits are learned the same way as bad habits practice oh this is the word practice prep practice doesn't make perfect practice makes permanent what what do what are you practicing no doubt I want to profess faith but I also want to practice faith are you practicing your faith now some of you like right now yo rich really this is the word you're bringing me today practice some of you looking like Allen Iverson at a press conference right now Allen Iverson my favorite NBA player of all time one of the greatest moments in culture when this NBA superstar is being questioned for why he missed practice and everyone's looking at him and saying yo Allen did you miss practice and the best response is that practice we talk about practice ladies diamond yes we are talking about practice because what you practice is what determines who you become and I don't want to listen faith is a gift from God I don't want to just receive faith I want to practice my faith just receiving faith is just part of the process but but practicing it is all of a sudden where the power comes from look at what Ephesians chapter 2 says you should know this verse is a great verse this is major doctrine right here faith is a gift from God for it is by grace that you have been saved through faith what's that by grace so God's unmerited favor God's love for you because he's given you grace well that's how you got your faith so through faith and this is not from yourselves it is the gift of God so listen everything about my faith my ability to respond to God was a gift from God my ability to even acknowledge God was because he first gave me grace faith is a byproduct of grace so we receive it but listen to me we can't stop there we don't just receive it we now go and we practice it we have to practice our faith as we practice our faith our faith becomes more and more permanent I wrote it down this way we treat practice like the thing of the future we think we'll practice when we become good yet practice is what makes you good I read this powerful book during quarantine by Richard foster called the celebration of disciplines where he lays out ten spiritual disciplines ten Christian practices ten habits of a believer what's the point of the practices what's the point of the disciplines the point is is that when you don't know what to do you know what to do because you have a habit and the point of the habit is to develop spiritual growth and so many times what we think is we think you know what when I become mature then I'll practice my faith or when I get good then I'll start creating the habit of faith in my life it doesn't work that way you have to practice it to become mature in it anybody out there ever take piano lessons as a kid I was um I used to take piano lessons and you know when I was a kid I always dreamed of being like you know Elton John or just you know crushing it you know Stevie Wonder just like full-on you know bringing it to the piano but my problem was when I was in the fifth grade is that I hated practicing and I used to have this his death his piano teacher her name was Benita Lee and on Wednesdays at noon I had to give up my lunch hour in elementary school and go to these piano lessons and I liked mrs. Lee and it was cool but I hated practicing when I grew up I grew up next door to my grandmother and my grandmother was a piano player and so I just had these four different books maybe some of you had them back in the day they were color-coordinated one was called piano one was called performance almost called theory one was called Technic I don't know if that even what does that mean Zak Technic it's like the technical parts of the yeah I can't even remember but I remember on Wednesday when I'd go see miss miss Lee I had to do a recital I had to show her my work from the week but anybody like me I was a procrastinator so what I would do is I wouldn't practice all week at all instead on Tuesday night I would go over to my grandmother's house and say Nana you got to get me ready for my recital tomorrow with Miss Lee and guess what I would do I would scramble and as I was scrambling I would get by the next day but how many of you know that you don't get good by simply getting by you don't get good by barely getting by and I felt that was a word for some of you out there today right now some of you thought your bear getting by but God doesn't want you to barely get by in this season God wants you to master this season God wants you to have answers God wants you to feel equipped God wants you to know that you can actually walk through this thing knowing what to do even when you feel like you don't know what to do because you've got spiritual practices what do you do when you don't know what to do you do your habits so what are your habits what are you doing daily I love our passage today because this is Acts chapter 2 and this is profound because Acts chapter 2 is the birth of the new church and the birth of the new church you should understand it was not cool it was not popular it was not easy to be a Christian in Acts chapter 2 Acts chapter 2 literally this is the formation of what you and I are doing 2,000 years later but we gain some insight as we read our passage today about what God did for them but also what they did for God Acts chapter 2 notice their leader Jesus Christ was crucified on the tree so maybe some of us today you feel like pressure we feel persecution but literally Jesus has just been crucified then we talked about this a few weeks ago on Pentecost Sunday 120 people gather in the Upper Room and as they gather there the Holy Spirit falls with tongues of fire a rushing wind and they are empowered Peter gets up he gives a sermon thousands are saved in a moment what's crazy is as the church encountered multiplication the persecution increased so much so that when you get to Acts chapter 8 you'll see that the church had to scatter from Jerusalem they couldn't people talking about persecution of the church right now like we have not faced persecution yet go back to Acts chapter 2 although we also know from Jesus's words that persecution will come but you want to know what persecution looks like go to Acts chapter 2 and start reading the Acts chapter 8 the stoning of Stephen that they took a believer and they took rocks and a mob killed him and the church had to scatter but what the believers didn't know at the time was the scattering was part of God's plan the scattering was part of God's purpose because the church had to scatter guess what new people became believers new people were reached unless something's act I wonder if God could be saying to vous Church I know you miss meeting in two locations but I have a bigger plan and that is I wanted you to scatter I know that you feel like you're going through pressure Helen hot water but the only way I could get the gospel out to the ends of the earth is you had to scatter please don't be surprised when the church starts getting criticized in fact if we're not being criticized it's because we're not doing it right you ought to be scared if somebody ain't talking bad about your pastor you ought to be scared if somebody isn't talking trash about your church it's been happening for 2,000 years and so they scattered but before they scattered what we see is we see a glimpse into that first church and it's hard to make direct comparisons because these were all Jewish men and women who had grown up in the temple very very different context but I do believe there's some insight for you and I as we talk about this theme day by day because watch what happens as they begin to come together I just wanna I wanna highlight verses 46 through 47 watch this verse 46 and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes they received their food with glad and generous hearts verse 47 here we go this is beautiful look what God does praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to their number day by day someone say day by day Florida added to their number day by day those who were being saved okay so here this is awesome what we discover here is in a moment of persecution and pressure and challenge that God grows them that God is still working in them that God drew them day by day verse 47 really indicates to us what God did but the verse that I want you to catch and we're gonna try to hinge on this summer is that verse 46 it says and day by day now and is a conjunction on verse 46 so what comes before the end well as you read verses 42 through 46 what you discover is verse 47 declares what God did but verses 42 through verses 46 declare what the early believers did verses 42 through verses 46 describes their habits it describes what they were committed to doing daily it describes their spiritual practices it describes what they were almost automatically involuntarily doing without even thinking about it and I believe that as they began to do these things God began to do something else listen to me when you practice your faith God performs his miracles I don't think God owes any man but there is a connection man that when I actually not just profess my faith but when I practice my faith God performs his miracles could it be just right this dad it's why I want you think about that could it be that God grew them day by day because they practiced day by day see the quality of your practice determines the caliber of the performance and I believe that when I practice my faith God performs his miracles God is gracious everything we have is a gift from him he gets all glory in good things and in bad things but I believe that we can learn today what do I do when I don't know what to do I do my habits I do my practices so so what are your practices I want to lean in this summer deep into this I don't know how many weeks were going to go but I've got eight or nine for sure that I want to share with you but today I just want to show you right here from Acts chapter 2 verse 42 I want to show you three spiritual practices that they did not on Sunday every day how you doing rich I'm overcoming how you doing that I'm doing it day by day I'm doing it one day at a time I'm doing something daily so I can define who I'm becoming permanently and I know times are uncertain but I have locked up to a God who has never shaken I have put my faith in Jesus the one that no matter what happens in this earth he will never fail me nor forsake me day by day I want to show you verses 42 or 43 but let's read it we're gonna see there's three practice I want to highlight I'm gonna give these to you fairly quickly and they devoted themselves that's a good word and they devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching and the fellowship to the breaking of bread in the prayers well I love this first 43 and all everyone say Oh an awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles let me give you three practices today that they were doing number one is they were dedicated to prayer I'm a lean into this hard next week but they were dedicated to prayer this is good that you see this today if you've got a Bible turn to first Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 16 listen prayer is meant to be practiced this is so important prayer is meant to be practiced not just professed I think sometimes we talk more about God than we do to God the early church understood that God's Will was for the people to pray have you ever considered that before that God's will is that you would pray I don't know if I've I'd ever framed it that way that God wills that you would pray meaning God wants you to pray God desires your prayer God loves your communication God loves to hear your cry God loves to hear your thoughts God loves when you take time leaning into him I meet so many people especially like our generation a lot of the Millennials people that are my age and below it's like everyone's like what's God's will for my life I just what is God's will for my life and they always kind of you know create God's will to be a job or a place and of course God wills you for a job in a place but but sometimes we're looking for God's specific will but we're not actually obeying God's general will never go asking God for his specific will if you haven't first done his general will that's silly like God what do you have specifically planned for me he's like well before I can tell you what I have specifically planned for you you should know what I have generally planned for you first Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 16 this is big what do you do when you don't know what to do here it is first Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 16 rejoice always are you joyful are you waking up day by day going I don't know give God praise I know it feels like the world is crumbling around me but my Bible tells me I'm going to rejoice always always watch this pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus pray without ceasing for the early church the early church saw praying like breathing Oh praying without ceasing that every breath is my prayer I'm in constant conversation with God that that's a heart check is the habit of your life to be praying like you're breathing notice what this scripture says in Acts chapter 2 it says that every day they were gathering in homes and in the temple meaning their prayer life wasn't just something that they were doing corporately but their prayer life was also something they were doing privately very very important that you see this that they both go hand in hand it's not either/or it's both in its corporate and its individual its public and its private listen to me if all your Christianity happens publicly you're in trouble and if all your Christianity happens in private you're not doing it right it's both an a I wonder today I wonder today what it is that you're lacking or what it is that you're missing because a relationship cannot survive without communication can you imagine if my wife and I imagine if I only talked to my wife in public what if we do only time I ever communicate with Don Cherie is publicly well how many know we would be missing intimacy if you know what I mean there's something that has to happen in private with a real relationship but on the flip side watch this if I only communicate with my wife privately how many of you know that right away I relieve myself of the responsibility of being a husband because when I go out publicly I haven't let anybody know that we're in relationship therefore it absolves me of all type of accountability what it means is I can creep publicly without any accountable I don't know if you're getting this because some of you right now you felt you're missing something and I wonder is the daily habit of your life are you dedicated to prayer not just publicly but also privately see some of you you're only committed publicly that's why every week when sunday shows up you say I'm not going to get on the stream because I miss how it used to be I miss going to church in singing with people but what you're really saying is no you're addicted to one form of a relationship with God which is the only way you know how to worship God is with people around you set to find accountability and the problem is is that you lack intimacy with God there's just some things that you can't get from God with everybody else around you've never learned how to get on your knees and cry out to God privately in an intimate way in your bedroom so rather than thank God for technology we complain because we're addicted to only praying to God publicly and we've missed out on privately meeting him this is like side now this is a huge thing when it comes to the idea of sex in culture because people think sex is what creates intimacy no doubt that sex has portions of intimacy but true intimacy comes from a healthy committed trustworthy relationship that's communicating and honest sex doesn't develop intimacy making love is a completely different thing than having sex into me see God doesn't want a one-night stand God doesn't want to just meet you on Sunday and not talk to you the rest of that week God is looking for somebody who will linger in private linger in his presence but the flipside of this whole thing is that some of us right now it's not that we just are addicted to meeting God publicly some of us it's the flip side some of us only pray in private and what it's done is its absolved us from any level of accountability meaning you're able to walk around and you look just like the world because nobody in your world even knows that you practice your faith whoa some of you right now you're behaving in a way that you should not be behaving you're talking in a way that you should not be talking you're thinking in a way that you shouldn't be thinking you're responding in a way that you should not respond yet because you've only prayed in private and you've never let the world around you know that you're a person who practices faith you have absolved yourself of every bit of accountability therefore they expect you to respond like the world they expect you to behave like everybody else around them you're creeping in public and nobody even knows you're going against what you say is your beliefs this is so important that we see this today are we dedicated to prayer day by day listen write this down practicing prayer produces God's presence practicing prayer produces God's presence look at what Isaiah says this is powerful this is powerful Isaiah he says it this way seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts let him return to the Lord that he may have compassion on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon watch this verse eight for my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways so are my thoughts than your thoughts listen to me prayer as I practice it produces God's presence I don't if you got one of those friends in your life that the more you're around that friend they start to rub off on you keys can come off for a second the more I'm around that person they rub off on me it just happens over and over again they they they rub off I mean I become like them every summer I spend two weeks with my best friend's name Jason and every summer we go on vacation and as we do man the more warm around and the more I become like him we always leave vacation and dontrey always goes rich you you sound just like Jason why because what we tend to do is we rub off on each other that's what as Isaiah is saying here he's saying yo if you don't know what to do go to God and prayer as you go to God in prayer what happens is as you start praying as you start seeking in your gonna find him every single time and as you find him guess what he is the God whose thoughts are higher than your thoughts his ways are higher than your ways and as you get in his presence he rubs off on you if you don't know what to do pray because as you pray his presence shows up and all of a sudden in your life you start thinking higher thoughts you start getting into finding better ways are you dedicated to prayer these are the practice of a believer but number two is not just dedicated prêt number two it's devoted to the word devoted to the word I want you to see this because Acts chapter 2 it says that day by day they came and had the Apostles teaching now what were the Apostles teaching that that's it's very very important that we define that the Apostles were teaching the word what do you mean by the word well they would have been taking the Torah which is Genesis Exodus Leviticus numbers and Deuteronomy and then they would have been preaching the word what is the word we know the word to be the Bible but remember John chapter 1 says that Jesus is the Word made flesh meaning what they were doing is is they were gathering they were teaching the Bible but they were teaching the Bible the Torah through the person of Jesus so so important that we see this so every day they were gathering they were preaching and teaching the word the word is Jesus that they were exposing they would go through the law and they would say how is Jesus fulfilled the law they would go to the Old Testament prophecies and they would say how is Jesus fulfilled the prophecies meaning when you read this book we don't just look for principles but as I'm devoted to the word it means I'm devoted to the person of Jesus I'm devoted discovering how Jesus has fulfilled that in my life I'm devoted to discovering how Jesus fills in the gaps of my life this is important because we were these little bracelets and some of us have got it on right now it says what would Jesus do but I think a better way of saying that is what would Jesus do if he were me what would Jesus do if he were me what would Jesus post in 2020 on Instagram if he were me what would make Jesus mad in 2020 if he were me what would Jesus say about politics if he were me what would Jesus be committed to in 2020 if he were me what would Jesus be excited about in 2020 if he were me what would Jesus be thinking about in 2020 if he were me and the only way you discover this is when you get devoted to the word in this season like this see practicing devotion to the word prepares you for life's problems if you have a problem that you can't solve consult the word consult Jesus if you don't know what to do go to the word the word is a light unto my path a lamp into my feet I don't know what the next step is but I take the word and as I expose the word on my problem all of a sudden there's a light in front of me I'm devoted to this word but how many know devotion requires discipline woohoo back to those habits I don't feel like reading my Bible you got to get disciplined you discipline is the bridge between your goals and your outcomes either either either suffer the price of discipline or suffer the price of regret you have to be a person that says I'm gonna get discipline what is this but discipline is doing what you're called to do even when you don't want to do it you know it's something like 75% of Americans they sleep at night with their cell phone next to their bed my precious what we're addicted to this little thing right and they say something like 75% Americans the first lady when they wake up is they pull up on their phone and they start reading social media or the news listen this is important some of us are consuming more news than we are God's Word some of us are being fed digital media more than we're actually consuming the Word of God what do you mean it's gonna produce in your life you ingest is what you digest it's no wonder so many of us are digesting anxiety digesting depression digesting suicidal thoughts digesting anger digesting wrath digesting bad habits so very very important that in this season right now that you go to God's Word I've been making a habit the last month first thing I do when I wake up right now it's just been going off for about 4 weeks and I grab my phone as I get out of bed and the first thing I do is I read a chapter of God's of God's Word and I just reflect on it because what I'm doing daily is gonna define who I become permanently and practice doesn't make perfect practice starts to make permanent and I want my discipline to kick in I don't want to just talk about it I want to be devoted to it listen to me most people give up when they're tired but a disciplined person gives up when they're done most people stop when they're tired but a disciplined person stops when they're done I don't feel like praying but I'm not done I don't feel like reading my Bible but I'm not done I don't feel like being a husband but I'm not done I don't feel like being a father in 2020 but I'm not done I don't feel like being a loyal friend but I'm not done I don't feel like going to a small group on zoom' but I'm not done I don't feel like turning my web browser to YouTube at 10 a.m. or 12 p.m. but I'm not done I'm tired but I'm not done I'm tired but I made a commitment and I'm devoted and I'm disciplined I'm tired but I'm not don't know listen to me inspiration gets you going but it's discipline that keeps you growing in life you better understand motivation will dry up on you but when motivation dies let discipline take its place let it step in and declare out loud I am devoted to the word I am voted to the person of Jesus what would Jesus do if he were me day by day well what do I do when I don't know what to do you consult the word you consult Jesus you discover him but you got to be disciplined it's not legalism it's love it's love these guys Acts chapter 2 verse 43 we discovered that they were committed the Apostles teaching the teaching of the word they were committed to prayer publicly and privately corporately and individually but lastly you see it so clearly it's it's it's thread throughout and this is the thing that's so difficult right now is they were committed to community notice they were meeting each other's homes they were meeting in the temple it was this beautiful balance of home life around a table and in this corporate life in this building where we sing corporately and we build our faith and the fellowship of breaking of bread they were doing life together and I want you to understand that as you read the scriptures what you discover is that community is essential to practicing your faith so many of us we don't understand this as Americans with the American Dream and our individualistic society and my way over everyone else's way what you discover about the New Testament Christians and all throughout the scripture is that community was essential to practicing your faith and that's a big discussion right now what's the essential business versus non-essential business and lots of debating around essential versus non-essential I'm not getting into that stuff what I am Telling You is that community is essential to practice in your faith that we have to be committed to our community committed to real people real names in the Xoom today real people in my crew real people who are part of our church then it's not something that I can just go all I'm checking in checking out of no I'm committed to this thing this is a practice of my faith I need a community for my faith to thrive alone I can go far but together we can go further we need each other and as you read the scripture what you find out so quickly is that when you are dedicated when a committed community is dedicated to prayer and devoted to the word you see three things pop up here's a word for our church today here's a word for our church are these three things popping up in our community because I'm talking to you right now like how are you what are you doing you know do you do your habits a practice of your life are you practicing community are you checking in and those around you are you loving those are you seeking to understand right now we are dealing with racism man I sure hope that it's not just black people talking to black people and white people talking to white people how on earth is it that your change like that it's gonna take some people that go wait a minute I got to practice my faith here I should pick up the phone I should call somebody who looks different for me on both sides we all are responsible to do this right now as people of faith I want to learn I want to grow I don't want to just live in an echo chamber I need to discover I need to grow I actually think that community is essential to my faith and when a committed community is dedicated to prayer and devoted to the word watch this first forty three and awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles watch this the first thing is all have you lost your Oh have you lost your ah of God your wonder of God I'm talking to you right now you have you lost your all's God had when's the last time you stood in awe of God I know you you stood in awe of a post on Instagram that made you angry or made you happy but what is that time you step I'm in awe of God look at my god what this is a sign this was a habit this was the result that the community was in awe of God I can't move out of his presence so quick that can't turn the laptop so quick I can't shut my Bible I can't leave my prayer closet I am in awe of God and all who believed were together and had all things in common and they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all any head need second thing we see is generosity they all had things in common they were sharing with one another it didn't require an offering talk it was just the result of a committed community dedicated prayer and devoted to the word generosity welled up I wonder have you picked up the phone and have you offered to be generous to somebody have you done more than what is required that is the definition of generosity we see we say generosity is our privilege at vu but I wonder today are you walking in your privilege of generosity pick up be a blessing to somebody and the day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes they receive their food with glad and generous hearts verse 47 praising God and having favor with all the people watch this and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved the third thing that we see is evangelism that their community just kept growing evangelism I wonder once again if I complete with you as your pastor I know there's lots of things going on in this crisis but I wonder is our community standing in awe of God is our community walking in generosity and is our community still doing the work of the Evangelist is what we're doing even attractive to the world right now I wonder right now is this a time where people are attracted to the church or our people disgusted with the church I wonder right now what comes first Jesus or America I wonder right now what comes first in your heart the people around you that you're committed to or politics I wonder right now what comes first to you holding to your rights or speaking up for people who are dealing with injustice because the early church while they're being persecuted people like sign me up Wow sign me up with those guys they're getting killed but man there's something about that community that's attractive line me up I'll get stoned line me up saw me into line me up crucify me upside down something about those people something about that love something about that unity something about these people that goes so against the culture that I'm attracted to it I don't think we should measure our success as a church based upon our growth but I do think if we're not growing we should sincerely ask ourselves why why why I want the result of this community that's committed to one another committed to the preaching of Jesus committed to the person of Jesus I want this the result to be dedicated prayer devoted to the word not just viable principles but seeing Jesus in the Old Testament seeing Jesus in the prophecies pulling him out applying him to my life what would Jesus do if he were me I can't get over that what would he do if he were me I don't think he'd be concerned about himself how do I know because from a cross he says Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing how we gonna get through this thing day by day what do you do when you don't know what to do you do your habits you lean in the thing that comes out of you if it's bad the only way to make it good is the same way you got it there you got to practice something different you gotta practice saying something different you got to practice a new action you got to do something different wherever you're at today just want to pray with you cuz I know he's here I know he's speaking us we're going on a journey I know a lot of us right now it's uncertain times it's difficult times but in these difficult times we're gonna call upon a consistent Savior a God who's never left us a God who's never forsaken us his name is Jesus with your head bowed right now wherever you're out of see you on zoom' if you don't know Jesus for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life he wants to meet you today he wants to transform you from the inside out and it starts with you simply responding to him if that's you right now that's me I received Jesus just pray this ready dear Jesus today I surrender give you my life ask that you forgive me did you change me from the inside out I believe you are who you said that you are I want to follow you all the days of my life I love you Lord in Jesus name Amen you know if you just prayed that prayer right now there's a number at the bottom of screen I want you to text this word decided to seven eight six seven five five three seven three seven text the word decided right now 786 755 37 37 I believe today that a relation with Jesus starts everything in your life it starts you on the faith journey you've received Jesus and now many of us we're gonna practice our faith there's those of you right now they're watching I don't know what rich tell me what to do just tell me what to do Owen do the right thing practice your faith do your habits right now on the zoom I see people del I see you right now brother I see you brother God's with you del God's with you William God's with you do go I know it's difficult days Rene how are you my brother God's with you he hasn't left your family he hasn't left you he's with you practice your faith brother practice your faith practice just put it as a habit right now God I pray for everybody right now who's watching well let this be a word today that we started to steal in our heart this isn't just jargon now we got some work to do this summer we are the church God make is attractive to a lost and dying world make us attractive to a confused world God we don't know always what to do but we know that you know what to do so we consult the word we devote ourselves to prayer not just privately but publicly we get intimacy we get accountability but God we are committed this community we can disagree but we don't have to disrespect I can still accept you although I might not agree with you I can still love you I can see the person before the policy Jesus is our message people are got minister in people's lives right now do a work right now Jesus encouraged people on this Sunday Lord this whole day - it today Jesus Jesus name Amen amen we put our hands together all of this place we put our hands together

Channel: VOUS Church

Views: 82,018

Rating: 4.9561687 out of 5

Keywords: vous church, vous, miami, florida, rich wilkerson jr, rich wilkerson, dawnchere, sermon, church, live worship, worship, dawnchere wilkerson

Id: vluQCN135m8

Length: 54min 4sec (3244 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 05 2020